"Z-zoe?" Percy gasped out, his voice barely audible. His hands shook so hard he nearly dropped Riptide, gripping the pen so tightly that it left an imprint in his palm.

Zoe didn't react. If it wasn't for the slight rise and fall of her chest, Percy would have thought she was dead.

But wasn't she? Percy had… Percy had watched her die. He had seen Artemis place her in the stars. Why was she in Tartarus? What had she done to deserve this? She had served Olympus for over two thousand years, what was going on?

White-hot anger bubbled up within him, but he didn't even know who he was mad at.

"Zoe!" He raised his voice louder this time, slamming an unleashed Riptide into the bars of her cell. He was trembling at this point. Fear, anger, and adrenaline coursing through his veins.

She finally looked up, meeting his eyes slowly, and froze.

"P-perseus?" Zoe croaked, eyes wide with shock.

For the first time since falling into Tartarus, Percy smiled. And not the kind of smile that he had used to scare the bronze leg off of the empousai with - this smile was for real.

"Zoe," he breathed out, uncaring of the fact that he was starting to repeat himself. "It's you. You're alive."

Zoe looked horrible. Her hunting parka was filthy and torn, her eyes were bloodshot, and her skin had lost a lot of its color. Her hair was ratty and greasy too, as though she had taken a dip in oil. Two knives sat at her waist still, although she would be hard pressed to reach them.

She scrambled back away from him, pressing herself flat against the wall of her prison cell. "No," she whispered faintly, her body wracked with shudders, "This cannot be."

Percy frowned slightly at her words, but what really made him unhappy was the way she was looking at him like some sort of monster. He knew he couldn't have looked great after spending any amount of time in Tartarus, but why did it sound like she was scared of him?

"What do you mean?" He asked firmly, "I'm right here."

Zoe shook her head. "This must be a trick!" She seemed to be ignoring Percy at this point, and speaking to herself in a vague effort to reassure herself. "Thou art not real. This must be one of Koios's tricks."

Tears were beginning to run down her face, and Percy had never felt more lost in his life. How was he supposed to deal with this? He'd dealt with crying girls before (albeit not that well), but how could he deal with a crying Hunter of Artemis who was supposed to be dead?

He coughed into his fist, and winced at the specks of blood he spotted. Whatever he chose to do here, he didn't have much time.

"Zoe, it's me," Percy tried, "Percy Jackson. I went with you on your quest to free Artemis from under the sky, remember? How are you down here?"

"Liar!" She hissed, although Percy could see the hesitation in her eyes. Or maybe it was desperation. "Perseus Jackson would not be in Tartarus. Thou cannot fool me."

"You shouldn't be either, and yet here we are," he snarked, before wincing at his sarcastic tone. Having an attitude probably wasn't the best way to go about this. "It is me, Zoe. How the hell would I know about your quest otherwise? If anything, I should be the one questioning this situation. I watched you die."

Zoe flinched at the reminder, and Percy couldn't help the immediate apologies that began to flow from his lips.

"If - if it truly is thee," she stuttered out, "Prove it. Prove that thou are not just another illusion of the empousai."

Percy gawked. "Prove it?" He repeated, flabbergasted, "How do you want me to prove it?! I'm standing right here. I have your sword in my hand! Ri- Anaklusmos has been freaking out ever since I fell down here, you know! It's been doing all this weird stuff, like glowing silver and moving around in my pocket on its own, what is that about?!"

Zoe spared Riptide a glance, as though to confirm what he was claiming. Sure enough, Riptide was glowing an ethereal silver, providing them both a small light in the otherwise dark dungeon.

"I am unconvinced," she said quietly after a moment had passed, "I can not trust what I know. My memories can be used against me. If thou are truly Percy Jackson, tell me something about yourself I would not know."

Percy blinked. "Something you wouldn't know?" He repeated, dumbfounded, "How would you be able to tell if I was being honest or not?"

"Just humor me, please."

He fought back the urge to roll his eyes. When had anyone given him a straight answer?

"Fine," he acquiesced, "If I can, I try to eat as much blue food as possible. The Romans exist too, and they really don't care for Poseidon, but I became a praetor anyways. I'm down here because for some reason I'm a part of another Great Prophecy that has apparently existed for millenia and thanks to the fates hating me I guess I have to be the one to deal with freeing the Doors of Death."

He locked eyes with her, and smirked. "And I could really go for a 'dam' snack bar right now."

"Oh my gods," Zoe choked out, "It really is thee."

Percy offered her a lopsided grin. "In the flesh. Now, I think we should be focusing on what you're doing down here."

Zoe shook her head. "Nevermind that. Thou needs to leave. Koios and Krios are here, and more of my family are arriving by the day. I do not know how thou art in front of me, but thou must disappear with haste for thy own safety."

"What?" Percy asked, "I can't leave you here!"

Zoe smiled sadly at him. "I do not think there is much thee can do for me now, Perseus. My kin were not gentle in my imprisonment. My treason has not been forgotten, and the only reason I still draw breath is because they await the day they can deliver me to Atlas and have him end my life."

"I'm not leaving you here!" Percy shot back, leaving absolutely zero room for argument. "I'm not going to let you die."

Again went unspoken between them, but both understood.

"It is not your fault, Perseus." Zoe shook her head softly. "I advise thee to leave me to my fate."

Fate. He hated that word. His life wasn't dictated by three old ladies, it was dictated by him.

And he'd be damned if he left Zoe to her so-called 'Fate'.

The bars of her cell were weak. With a single slice of Riptide he was able to cut through them with no effort.

"Perseus," Zoe whispered, "Thou shouldn't -"

"It's Percy," he grunted, cutting her off before she could try to convince him to abandon her again.

The chains that bound her to the wall were much stronger than the bars. They seemed new, and Percy was sure that after a good polish they would have been glossier than Drew Tanaka's lipstick.

He slammed Riptide down on the celestial bronze shackles, but it bounced off harmlessly. His brow furrowed as Zoe sat silently beneath him, unable to do anything but sit and wait for him to either free her or leave.

Percy growled as he tugged on the chains, his arms burning as he attempted to pull them apart with his bare hands. The chains clinked together noisily, but he couldn't destroy them.

"P-percy, please," she begged, "Just go. Save thyself. I do not know why thou are down here, but if thou were to get caught in this place -"

"Shut up!" He hissed, tears pricking the edge of his eyes. "Either give me a way to free you, or don't talk! I'm not letting someone else die again because I wasn't strong enough!"

Zoe shut her mouth, quietly trembling as Percy continued to struggle with the chains. He could feel his anger rising, his frustration with Hera, with Gaea, with Annabeth, with everything finally coming to the forefront of his mind. The veins in his arms began to grow as though he were in a cartoon, his heart beating faster and faster as he felt his blood start to boil.

He saw white as he thought of all the people he'd failed to save. Bianca, Calypso, Beckendorf, Castor, Michael, Lee, Luke, Silena and more all appeared before him, as though they were watching him try and fail to amend his previous failures in this moment.

Percy couldn't fail Zoe. Not again.

Never again.

Percy roared.

The world turned red.

The chains in his hand crumpled into scrap metal under his grip, and with a heave Zoe's left arm came free from the wall. The shackle around her wrist remained, but Percy didn't care.

Zoe stared at him in awe as he raised Riptide, taking advantage of his newfound strength, and with a single flick of his wrist the other three chains shattered. Riptide cleaved through them in a massive arc, the blade glowing brighter and brighter with each second that ticked by.

And just like that, it was over.

Percy stumbled, his strength leaving him, and he fell against the wall next to Zoe. His chest heaved as he tried to fill his lungs, but that only seemed to aggravate his body more. Shakes wracked his body as he began to cough up blood again, and it was only when Zoe gripped his arm did he finally return to his senses.

"Percy," she whispered, tears still running down her face, "Thou - we need to get out of here. I do not know how Koios has not noticed yet, but sooner or later they will sense thee. Thou art hurt. We must hurry."

Percy nodded, and with Zoe's help staggered to his feet. The other monsters realized what was happening, and began to growl, hiss, and scream at the duo. If the other Titans hadn't heard him before, they definitely would soon.

He quickened his pace, even as his body began to scream at him in protest. Zoe looked at him in concern, but he ignored it in favor of focusing on not passing out.

Percy stumbled up the stairs, Zoe in tow, and by some miracle the duo were able to escape Othrys undetected.

The moment they were outside, he made a beeline for the Phlegethon. Like so many times before, he collapsed against its shores and shoved his hands into the fire, ignoring the searing pain as he drank the liquid like there was no tomorrow. It sucked, but the more he drank the less pain he felt, and he wasn't going to be taking any chances now.

After what must have been an eternity of waiting from Zoe, he pulled himself to hit feet -

Only for Zoe to slam into him, wrapping her arms around him tightly and sobbing into his chest.

Percy froze, unsure of what to do, before his brain finally reminded him that when a girl hugged him he should probably return the favor. His arms tentatively reached around behind Zoe, and before he realized it he was crying too, weeping silently as he held onto Zoe like she was the only person left in the world.

Considering where they were, that might as well have been true.

After a few moments, Zoe eventually pulled back, wiping her eyes hastily as she eyed Othrys. "We are not safe here," she murmured, "Explanations can wait until later. We must flee before they notice I am gone."

Percy nodded. "We have to follow the river downstream. I heard Polybotes behind me a while ago, and it probably wouldn't be the smartest idea to go and pick a fight with him."

Zoe tensed at the mention of the Giant's name. "Polybotes, the antithesis of Poseidon." Her eyes turned foggy, as though she were reliving a long lost memory. "I have not heard that name in a long time."

"Yeah, and if we're lucky we won't have to hear it again for a long time either."

Percy grabbed her arm, ignoring the warning bells that went off at the thought of Artemis ever finding out. Zoe tensed but didn't pull away, and that was all the warning he gave her before he took off running.

–

"Percy," Zoe gasped, "I think we can stop. Anything that has been chasing us has been left far behind."

Percy wasn't sure about that, but if Zoe wanted to stop, they were going to stop. He'd rather not have his friend pass out from exhaustion.

Plus, he needed some answers, and Zoe was going to have to provide.

They sat near the bank of the Phlegethon in silence for a moment, with Zoe flat on her back and gasping for air. Percy felt a bit guilty about not realizing how exhausted she had clearly been, but he was more confused than anything. She had been a hunter for millenia, how was she more tired than him?

The fog that Percy had been skirting around was still there, albeit a few hundred yards further away. It was omnipresent this far into Tartarus, and Zoe had seen him gaze nervously towards it more than once while they were running.

"So," Zoe finally said, "I'm sure thou has a lot of questions. I do as well, but I shall allow thee to begin."

Percy nodded, humming as he pursed his lips. Where to begin?

"Well," he began, "I guess the first thing I need to know is just… how?"

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "How?"

"Yeah, how?" Percy repeated, "How are you down here? I was there on Mount Tamalpais. I saw you…"

He trailed off, but based on Zoe's grim expression she knew what he was referring to.

"I suppose it makes sense for me to begin there," she said after a moment. Her voice was tight, as though she were trying to stop herself from crying again. "I… after the battle, Artemis did put me in the stars. They are - were a wonderful place."

Percy gave her a weird look. "You were alive up there?"

"In a way," she admitted, "I was the constellation. I could see the earth, yes, and observe, but aside from seeing the others, there wasn't much else I could do."

"The others?"

Zoe nodded. "Scorpio, Ursa Major, Perseus." Her lips quirked up at his namesake, "Draco. They all exist up there the same way I did. I wasn't truly dead, but I wasn't necessarily alive either. I spent much of my time simply watching the world turn without me."

She gave him a look that was full of sorrow. "I have seen much in my life, but it felt like I could see so much more from the realm of Ouranos. I saw as Thalia became my successor, and pushed the prophecy onto thee. I saw as thou traversed the Labyrinth, and as thou fought for Olympus all the way through New York and into the throne room. I watched as thou faced Kronos, and I watched as the son of Hermes died to save the gods."

A pause. She had seen that much? Percy almost felt a little bit violated at the invasion of privacy, although it didn't seem like Zoe could control that.

"So…" he muttered weakly, "You saw me abandon your sister on Ogygia?"

Zoe hummed. "I did. And yet I saw thou argue for her freedom in front of the council as well, instead of accepting godhood. There are not many who would do the same in thine shoes. I am glad thee proved me right, Percy."

He couldn't find it in himself to smile back at her, the thought of Annabeth ruining his mood. "I had to."

"No, thou didn't, Percy," she reminded him, "But thou did anyways."

He wasn't in the mood for an argument, so he just nodded tightly and waited for her to continue.

"When the gods closed Olympus," she murmured, "I knew something was wrong. They had attempted to make good on their word to you, but once Zeus decided to shut things down everything went back to the way it was before. It was like that for a few days, until Zeus came to visit me."

Zoe flinched at the memory, and just like that the tears were back. Almost without thinking, Percy scooched closer, wrapping an arm around the Hunter before his brain caught up to him. She leant against him, her face hidden in the crook of his neck as she wept quietly, leaving Percy to wonder if she would castrate him herself once the crying ended.

"He - he told me of how there was another threat to Olympus," she whispered, hiccuping every so often as she lost control of herself, "And that this time, every precaution would be taken. I, as a Titan, could not be trusted to stay true to Olympus against Mother Earth, and so he cast me down into Tartarus with a promise of release after the war. He did not care for my cries, as I begged him to remember how faithfully I had served him under Artemis, and so here I am. It isn't every day that a constellation is struck from the heavens, and word travels quickly, so by the time I reached this place my uncles were waiting for me. They wanted to kill me themselves, but thought the honor should go to my father."

To an outside observer, Percy may have seemed calm. He was a statue as he processed what Zoe had said, but in reality that could not be further from the truth. His mind was running a million miles a minute, with half his thoughts consisted of how he was going to murder Zeus once he got out of this place. How could he do that? What was wrong with him? Did he not care for his daughter's feelings?

When he voiced his outrage, Zoe merely sighed. "The gods are flawed beings," she admitted, "And these sorts of things are the norm for them. Even Lady Artemis has committed heinous acts. Zeus likely thought Artemis would simply never find out."

"I'm going to kill them," he hissed, throat burning. The Phlegethon's waters began to churn in tune with his rage, something that Zoe took immediate notice of, but she remained silent. "I swear to Hades I will -"

Zoe slammed a hand over his mouth. "Don't go around swearing to do things to gods! Are you asking for an early death?!"

Percy glared at her. "In case you haven't noticed, heroes aren't destined to get long lives. And considered our current predicament, I don't think the gods have much say in what I do or don't do right now. I'm not going to allow some prick with a big ego and a little man complex hurt my friends. After this war I'm going to tear him a new one"

She wasn't impressed. "Men are so quick to violence," she huffed, crossing her arms like a toddler, "But your dedication to your comrades is impressive."

He couldn't see it, but there was a small smile on her face as she thought about what he had been willing to do in her name. Percy truly was something else.

"Sorry." Percy wasn't, but maybe if he said it she wouldn't kill him once she realized the position they were sitting in.

They were quiet for a while, simply sitting and watching as the waters of the Phlegethon slowly returned to their normal state. "So why art thou down here? I am eternally grateful that thou rescued me, but I cannot imagine that thou are simply here as a tourist."

Despite it all, Percy chuckled. "I wish."

And with that, he began to explain. He spoke of the jubilation he had felt at the end of the Second Titan War, and how he had been kidnapped and swapped out with Thalia's secret Roman brother in a desperate play by Hera to unite the two demigod camps. He told her of his, Hazel, and Frank's journey to Alaska to free Thanatos and resume death, how he had slain Polybotes, and how they were currently on a mad dash to stop Gaea from rising.

And, of course, he told her about how he had fallen into Tartarus to save Annabeth, and how he had to reach and free the Doors of Death to give the gods any chance of winning the war.

Zoe was silent as she processed everything he had said. Percy wondered if she was just processing the fact that he was probably going to die within a few days. Maybe she'd get to pick the flowers for his tombstone instead of Grover.

"I see," she finally said, "And do thou truly think you can complete such a task? That you can do what no hero has done before, and return from Tartarus alive?

Percy shrugged. "Maybe. First I have to find the Doors of Death, then I'll think about getting out of here."

She pursed her lips, before shrugging off his arm and standing up. "Very well," she decided, "Then I shall assist thee."

"Huh?"

Zoe smirked down at him, once again offering him her hand. "I owe thou my freedom Percy, it would be wrong for me to not aid thee in thy time of need."

"Besides," she giggled, "I don't exactly have anything else to do down here."

"Oh yeah," Percy said, nodding like an idiot, "Right."

Zoe pulled him up with relative ease, before looking further downstream. "Do you have any idea on where–"

Percy didn't feel the incoming attack so much as he sensed it coming before he should have. He grabbed Zoe and threw her to the ground before falling on top of her, with the wave of fire and light that followed nearly taking his head off as he dropped.

As it was, he had to settle for a searing pain on his back as it was torn up by the blast.

Well, his shirt was definitely ruined now.

"Percy!" Zoe shouted over the roar of the fire. He tried to formulate a response, but all he could think was "HOT!".

Just as quickly as it had started, it was over.

Percy rolled off of Zoe, grimacing in pain and at the fact that his back smelt like barbecue.

"Damnit!" A new voice cursed, "How in Gaea's name did I not kill you two!"

Zoe, who had immediately knelt at Percy's side at the sign of his injury, froze.

It didn't take a genius to realize who had just attacked them.

Standing before them in all his glory was Hyperion, Titan Lord of the East.

–

A/N: Finally, some more action! Also two chapters in one day is a new personal best, please let me know how cool I am in the reviews. Hope you all enjoyed it! See you soon!

P.S. Please forgive me for crimes against Shakespearean English as I attempt to write Zoe out properly. I am trying my best lmao.